I finished up the basic wiring, replacing a few of the crimp on connectors and started up the motor. There was still water in the block, but I needed to add coolant for the radiator and heater. There is a bleed nipple near the heater valve which I ran a hose from to the coolant jug. I ran the car for about 30 minutes to let the thermostat open to cycle the water and force the air out. It took just over one jug of new coolant. The system was flushed April before last when the water pump was rebuilt. The new fan switch and the serviced fan worked great. I had installed a switch that operates at 92C and thermostat which operates at 88C. There are ones that operate at cooler temps, but after I had the header core rebuilt and removed the intake bellows ‘anti-freeze’ collar (which was 100% blocked anyway!) along with the flushed radiator, things should be running cooler. At idle temperature the fan would kick in for 25-30 seconds every couple of minutes, which seems very good.

I still need to get the EGR Proportional completely hooked up, but after that I can finish up with the engine and put the lights in place.

The blasting revealed the extent of the rust damage. Fortunately for the areas of concern it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We did find new areas from a previous repair job on the left rear quarter and left rear door along with evidence of bondo. All the bondo was removed and any rust damage to the bottom of the doors will be patched with fiberglas.

This is about as stripped as she is going to get before the media blaster does the rest. I am not pulling the engine or getting the interior blasted except for the exposed wings and door jambs where there are rust issues.

Dana felt he could straighten out the left front fender, so he got out his special tools and got to work. He really made great progress and basically saved a fender that many body shops said would be easier to just cut out and replace with a salvaged one

flame on

more flame

shrinking hammer and a dolly

before (three main crumple areas indicator lamp, before and after wheel arch)

The main damage to the body is on the left fender, left rear door and lower left quarter. The fender will have to be replaced, but the door and left rear quarter can be pulled back out. These photos have high contrast to try and show detail of the damage which is still hard to see.

I went into Scanwest to get the backup light switch replaced on my NG900. The backup light switch, when grounded, will take out your windshield wipers too. It was raining, and I needed those. While in the waiting room I saw an advert for a 1977 99 GL.
I had specifically been looking for an older 5DR, so I took a card.
I came out to see the car on a Tuesday to see what I’d be getting myself into. The owner had kept good records but it seemed after a demoralizing collision with an SUV in 2006, it sat rusting and collecting moss.
The original paint is mostly intact, but the Earl Scheib finish was flaking away like latex house paint. There are several rust spots, but they appeared to be surface rust with the exception being the left front door water collector.
The left rear door and quarter panel were damaged, but they were such that it seemed they could easily be pulled/tapped out. The left front fender would have to be replaced.
A big job for sure, but these 5DRs often go to the crusher in favor of the Combi-Coupe and 2DR Notchback. With limited import numbers for this body style it only makes them rarer.